


The Beach

by mydayismade



Category: Day6 (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Comfort/Angst, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt No Comfort, JaePil Week 2018, Jealousy, M/M, Mental Instability, Park Jaehyung | Jae-centric, Possibly Unrequited Love, Song Lyrics, Strained Relationships, Toxic traits, Unrequited Love, jaepil, the beach, the neighbourhood inspired, who knows where this will go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:48:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26282926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mydayismade/pseuds/mydayismade
Summary: Jae grew up by the ocean and the sea, the colors of a vivid, bright orange sun shining down on deep blue water and tan sand painting the backdrop of his life. Gentle, salty breezes and heavy, dark tides shaped him into who he is today, similarly to how children form sandcastles on the warm beach. Much like those structures made from sand, Jae could also be destroyed by the same soft winds and rippling waves that created him.There was one wave in particular that built him as high as the tallest skyscraper and then demolished him like a measly house of cards. Kim Wonpil.Inspired by The Neighbourhood's "The Beach" and the general vibe of their discography.
Relationships: Kang Younghyun | Young K/Kim Wonpil, Kim Wonpil & Park Jaehyung | Jae, Kim Wonpil/Park Jaehyung | Jae
Comments: 1
Kudos: 11





	The Beach

**Author's Note:**

> Hellllooo, yes! I am alive! This has been in my drafts for like...2 months? I think and it was spurred on by some mental unwellness while I listened to the neighbourhood so...yeahhhh sjfnjrenf hope u enjoy wtvr the fuck this is and well to be honest with u...idk when updates will be or if they will be so erhm yes. anyway!! pls tell me ur thoughts in the comments, leave kudos, and share with ur friends if u want! Well see you laterrrr <33 muah!

Jae stood at the edge of the beach where the dark, blue ripples of the sea met the warm, tan sand his toes were buried in. The gentle breeze wafting around him gave him a serene feeling, a rare moment of tranquility amidst his usually chaotic life as it blew through his messy hair. With his gaze set towards the never-ending ocean, the setting sun provided a creamsicle glow around his thin silhouette, highlighting his sharp features. He inhaled deeply then exhaled slowly, closing his eyes in the process. The saltiness from the sea that lingered in the air stung. It stung just enough to remind him that his lungs were working, that he was breathing. He was alive. 

When he finally opened his eyes, he was met with a sight so beautiful he almost wanted to never look away. A kaleidoscope of warm oranges, subdued pinks, and deep reds colored the darkening sky, making everything picturesque. He would have taken a picture, but he’d left his phone with his friend, hoping some time away from technology would do him good. As the sky darkened to one last shade of fuchsia then purple, Jae looked down at his feet. Cool waves were now lapping at his thin ankles where his dark washed skinny jeans were rolled up. It felt nice. The heated sand between his toes and chilly water against his skin was nice. He was in the middle of taking one more large breath of the salty ocean breeze when a bright, cheery voice cut through his reverie. His eyes startled open. He didn’t exactly remember closing them in the first place, too lost in his own head.

“Jaehyungie-hyung, what are you doing? The ice cream is gonna melt if you just keep standing there.”

Wonpil. It was Jae’s friend Wonpil. The brightest beam of light he’d ever encountered, constantly shining vividly and rivaling the illuminating powers of the sun itself. It was a bit blinding at times for someone like Jae. While he grew up where it was said to never rain and the sun always shined, he was used to dark grey clouds and bleak winds occupying his mind. There was always a storm brewing in Jae’s head. A hurricane, a cyclone, but Wonpil was the force that always broke through it, emerging from behind his brooding clouds and penetrating them with rays of warm light. 

Jae ran his large hand through his blonde hair, taking note of how dark his roots had gotten already.  _ I should probably get a touch up _ . Taking one last glance at the open waters and where the sun was replaced by a silvery waning moon, he turned to face where the voice of his dear friend came from.

“I’m coming, Wonpil. Tell everyone I’ll be there soon.” He airily breathed out, finding it draining to form words at the moment. That seemed to be happening a lot lately. Thinking was tiring enough but actually voicing those thoughts was a different beast of its own.

Wonpil gave a small nod of his head as answer, his wavy black hair tousling around from the action. The shorter man started to stalk back off to the other part of the beach, where other people were. Jae turned back to his previous position, wiggling his toes in the now cooling sand. Still feeling. Still alive. Once he decided that he’d made his friends wait long enough, he started to leisurely walk towards where he saw the lights of mini tiki torches and people’s phone screens illuminate the beach. In all honesty, Jae wasn’t really one for parties, but he sacrificed his own comfort for the happiness of his friend who dragged him along to these gatherings. Jae could recall hearing Wonpil’s reasoning behind always bringing him to various functions and events despite his many protests.

_ “Jaehyung, you can’t just stay bottled up inside all day. You need some fresh air and to interact with people that aren’t just characters in a video game.” _

In many ways, Wonpil was right, unsurprisingly, but Jae was stubborn. Why did he have to get “fresh” air at some stuffy party filled with sweaty bodies gyrating on each other when he could just take a step out on his small balcony overlooking the beachfront? Also, the characters in the games he played were much easier to deal with than real people. There was less room to overthink his actions and question himself. The less thinking he had to do, the better. 

Before he knew it, Jae was standing in front of a group of people he loosely labeled as his friends. In his mind, he didn’t have many if any at all, only Wonpil. There was 1 man sitting down in a lounge chair while the rest occupied a small couch, all merrily conversing with each other and sipping tropical drinks. Jae never bothered remembering any of their names as they’d only met a few times, so he only went based off their appearance. The one that stood out the most to him had jet black hair and sharp, feline eyes. He gave off a cold aura that made him seem unapproachable. Jae could relate to that. He was often told that if it wasn’t for his unruly blonde hair and full cheeks paired with his gangly frame, he’d be quite intimidating. Next to Mr. Fox-eyes was a man with equally dark but wavier hair and a boyish face. He looked the youngest out of all of them, but his baby cheeks gave way to a chiseled jawline when he turned just the right way. Dowoon was his name if Jae remembered correctly. The only reason this guy’s name stuck out was because Jae distinctly recalls the deep voice that introduced himself as “Yoon Dowoon'' one time before. It had a booming yet calming quality to it that made Jae think of a stern and loving father, but the slight lisp behind some of the young man’s words alluded to a bit of innocence and naivety. The final form Jae’s eyes landed on was someone with brown sparkling eyes, filled with dozens of tiny little stars, shining brilliantly. Not as bright as Wonpil’s though. His hair was a shade of deep brown and fell around his face wildly. He resembled a bear. He seemed nurturing like a papa bear that wants to protect his cubs and lead his family through their habitat, helping them survive and thrive.

Jae’s analysis of the people in front of him was interrupted by an awkward clearing of someone's throat. The blonde whipped his head towards the source of the sound, his small eyes landing on Wonpil. He was sandwiched between fox-eyes and Dowoon, leaning closer to the sly looking man so that their thighs lightly rubbed against each other when either one moved. Something inside of Jae twitched at the sight. He didn’t have time to ponder on the feeling much longer when Wonpil jumped up from his spot to drag Jae to sit next to him, pushing Dowoon uncomfortably to the other side of the compact sofa. Jae only assumed Dowoon was uncomfortable based off the subtle furrow of his dark brows, but it was quickly replaced by a neutral expression.  _ He must not like confrontation _ . Jae was now sat in between the ravenette with cold eyes and his summery companion. 

“Hey, Jae, right? I’m Younghyun! I think we met a while ago, back at the campus’ bonfire meet?” The black-haired man, now known as Younghyun, amicably spoke up, putting his hand out for Jae to shake.

Jae stared down at the outstretched hand for a moment before he looked back up to the man it belonged to. “Yeah, I’m Jae. I don’t really remember you though, sorry.” He wasn’t sorry.

There was a palpable tension in the air, making the atmosphere thick and hard to breath around. Or at least to Jae, there was. He was never sure if he was the only one who could sense awkward situations or if he was just extra sensitive to them, it made him hyper aware of everything though. He swore he could hear every sharp intake of breath or quiet exhalation of air someone made when there was something uncomfortable going on.

“Ah, right, well nice to meet you!” Jae’s indifferent response seemed to not have deterred Younghyun as his surprisingly bubbly demeanor continued to try to carry the conversation.

“Same to you.” Jae offhandedly replied as he stared off into the distance, his mind already drifting off to somewhere far, far away. Namely the shore he was just at not too long ago. Jae could almost still feel the soft sand in between his long toes, could still feel the last beams of sun shining gently on him before it made way for a sterling moon. He missed that feeling. It was better than whatever he was feeling at the moment, surrounded by people he barely knew and wasn’t that keen on getting to know. He was content with it just being him, Wonpil, and his computer. Also, the beach. He could never live without the beach.

Wonpil piped up, breaking through the strained ambience with his light voice and salvaging the conversation. Jae was always being saved by Wonpil.

“Oh, yeah the ice cream! Our dear Sungjin has been trying his hand at cooking and what not and was kind enough to make us some ice cream!” Wonpil shifted in his seat to glance at Sungjin before continuing. “They’re right in that cooler over there.” Jae looked over to where Wonpil pointed his hand, a blue cooler with bear stickers all over it sat next to Sungjin’s chair. 

Jae was lactose intolerant. Just one of his many allergies and intolerances. He pondered why Wonpil would think he’d be interested in something like ice cream and frowned at the thought that maybe Wonpil no longer cared about what he did and didn’t like. That didn’t seem right, though. Wonpil was always attentive, always cared. Jae was more than likely just looking way too deeply into it, as usual. Jae could never seem to stop his brain from jumping to unreasonable, borderline irrational, conclusions. It was one of the things he disliked most about himself, his inability to just see things for what they are instead of always searching for a hidden agenda. 

“You know I’m lactose intolerant, Pil.” Jae’s raspy yet smooth voice was laced with a certain iciness to it that wasn’t lost on Wonpil. He’d been the brunt of this exact tone many times before. 

Wonpil gave Jae a gentle smile before he replied, trying his best to not sour Jae’s mood any further. “Of course, I know that Jae.” He took a breath to restrain himself from raising his voice and continued. “That’s why I asked Sungjin to make some dairy-free flavors too. Just for you.” 

Jae let out a helpless ‘Oh’ at Wonpil’s remark and went back to his mindless scenery watching. The beach really was a beautiful sight right after sunset. Where it was bright and blinding during the day, the nighttime gave the sand and water a cool, blue shadow that reflected the chromatic waves from the moon. It provided a certain serenity that was unobtainable in the presence of the warm rays of the sun. For someone like Jae, the night was his escape. His own oasis. Not a single soul roamed the beach that late in the evening. He was free to think and wonder in the silence of the darkness, the soft sounds of the ocean waves acting as white noise for his thoughts. 

Jae was brought out of his trance by the feeling of a small, smooth hand lightly tapping his own much larger and rougher one. 

“Do you still want it?” Wonpil was holding a small container of what looked like strawberry flavored ice cream in one hand while the other still gently rested on Jae’s. “It’s strawberry.”

“No cookie dough?” Jae released a quiet huff at the fact that he didn’t have the choice of having his favorite ice cream flavor. He may not generally like the cold sweet treat, but he still had his preferences.

“No. No cookie dough. Sorry.” Wonpil sounded as if he was speaking to a young child that was on the brink of throwing a tantrum, choosing his words carefully and adopting a soft voice. That didn’t stop Jae from acting out though.

Jae harshly removed his hand from under Wonpil’s touch and turned in his seat to look at Wonpil head on. He looked 1 second away from exploding as a deep frown settled on his usually youthful looking face. 

“No thanks, then.” His voice was cool and collected, a shock to Wonpil who was expecting a thunderstorm with loud claps of thunder. Instead, he was met with a gentle trickle of tap water delicately splashing against a sink.

“O-oh, okay.”

“It just sucks that I was dragged to this stupid “party” or whatever the fuck this is just to eat some ice cream some random dude made and there isn’t even my favorite flavor.” There it was. The dreaded clap of thunder Wonpil so desperately wanted to avoid.

“Jae, c-calm down.” Wonpil tripped over his words, the embarrassment of having to deal with his friend’s insolence in front of other people causing his cheeks to heat up.

“I won’t calm the fuck down, Pil. You know how much I hate leaving the house, especially for some useless get together like this. But you know what, I did it anyway. I came here for you and what do I get in return?” Jae and Wonpil were now both standing up at this point, the cool air of the night competing with the heated stares shared between the pair. After a few seconds of silence, Jae continued his tirade. 

“I get you acting all buddy-buddy with Mr. Fox-eyes over there and some fucking strawberry ice cream. I hate strawberries. But you don’t care, now do you?” Jae’s nostrils were flaring as he pointed over in the general direction of Younghyun who was awkwardly looking around the beach to distract himself from the uncomfortable situation unfolding in front of him.

“Jae don’t do this. Not here, not now.” Wonpil inched closer to Jae and lifted his hand in an attempt to reach out to Jae and calm him down. Jae ducked around the shorter man’s appendage and stared down at him, the look in his eyes dark and menacing.

“Oh what? So, you’re embarrassed of me now? Is that what it is?” Jae looked around his surroundings and at the other people with them. “Am I not good enough for your friends? If so, then why did you bring me here, huh?” Jae’s voice trailed off into a mere whisper by the end of the sentence and after releasing a deep sigh, he ran towards the parking lot of the beach, his hair blowing wildly in the night breeze and the threat of tears spilling growing with each step he took.

Wonpil stared off in the direction Jae went in for a bit before turning to face the dumbstruck expressions of his friends. He sheepishly scratched the back of his neck with shaky hands and gave a wry smile.

“I’m sorry about that...I swear he’s not usually like th-” Wonpil’s words were cut off by Sungjin gently shaking his head and raising his hand in a gesture to say  _ It’s okay _ .

“No need to apologize, Wonpil. It’s not your fault.” Younghyun’s deep voice was dripping with pity and the secondhand embarrassment in his eyes was evident despite his attempts to mask it with sympathy. It really didn’t matter to Wonpil anymore, he was used to it by now. 

“Really, it’s fine Wonpil.” Dowoon spoke, a clumsy smile gracing his face.

“Well, I-I gotta go. Talk to you guys later? Sorry again for all of…” Wonpil waved his short arms about himself then finished off his statement with a tired sigh. “.... this.”

The 3 other men just gave Wonpil a simple wave and assurances of everything being alright as they bid him farewell. With one last glance at them, Wonpil began following the path Jae took, hoping the tall man was waiting by the car and not off somewhere doing something regrettable. 

Wonpil was 5 feet or so away from his parked car when he spotted Jae’s unmistakable mop of blonde hair and 6-foot stature standing next to the passenger side. Wonpil was relieved to say the least. Jae was the first to break the silence once Wonpil made it all the way to where he was stood.

“Let’s go home. Please.” Jae wetly said, as if he had been crying, his almond eyes avoiding Wonpil’s doe ones.

“Ok.” Was the only response Wonpil could manage to muster at the moment. All his energy had been drained, and he was not excited for what would happen once they made it home. 

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> So how was that??? I kinda rushed the end tbh but i hope it wasnt too noticeable...i knew if i didnt finish this part now that id probably never finish it so yes ajhdnsfn i hope it was still enjoyable though!! i have the general idea of what i want this to be and where i want it to go but idk....hmmm hope the angst isnt too bad hhehe. anyway, hope u enjoyed and if u did leave me a comment telling me what u thought and if you want more, leave kudos, and share with ya friends!! Until next time guys, stay well <333


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